Connor is the first Flint artist, and only the fourth Michigander
(after Big Sean in 2010, Danny Brown in 2012, and Detroit native and Brooklyn
transplant Angel Haze in 2013) to appear on the XXL Freshmen list since its
inception in 2008.

Every year, the magazine awards members of the list with a
group photo shoot for the cover, a feature in the issue, and online coverage with
video freestyles and a mixtape that showcases the artists' music.

"For Flint, Michigan, to see me on that cover
represents way more than another rapper being on the cover of a magazine,"
Connor said, in a March video where he makes his case for appearing on the
cover.

"It's for a city that just (has) been torn down from
every angle, and you see that you can make it. You can be from the worst city
in America, and you can make it."

"106 & Park" gave members of the list performance slots
to perform a song on the show. Connor performed "No Thrillz," a fan favorite
and a single from "Season 2," a mixtape he released in 2012 while he was still
living in Flint. During his interview, he gave a shout out to fallen Flint
rapper MC Breed, whose lyrics he grew up memorizing in his bedroom.

"Flint, Michigan. I love you," he tweeted after the news was
announced on the show.

From there, Connor received tweets from industry veterans and
collaborators such as Royce Da 5'9", Marsha Ambrosius and Consequence, along with
praise from longtime fans.

Connor's self-released debut album "Unconscious State" landed
him on the Billboard charts in 2013 after years of touring and free releases.

But
he caught his big break in August 2013, days after a performance at Lansing's Common
Ground Festival, when iconic hip-hop producer Dr. Dre summoned him to
California. Rapper/actor Xzibit, who had toured with Connor, put in a good word
for him while talking to Dre.

"Dre is a very particular person. He knows what he wants to hear," Connor told Flint Journal in an August interview. "...I made it through Dr. Dre's chopping block of potential. Just to know he sees something in me, or that he respects what I do, or has an appreciation of what I bring to hip-hop, is something I put on my mantle."

The two instantly struck musical chemistry, and he signed
Connor to his label Aftermath Entertainment--the same record company home that fostered platinum plaques for for Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent.

Since then, he has been in the studio with the likes of Ice
Cube and Marsha Ambrosius. He has also released two mixtapes--"The Late
Registration Of A College Dropout Who Had a Dark Twisted Fantasy of 808s and
Heartbreak," which is an ode to Kanye West, and "Best In The World: A Tribute
To The Notorious B.I.G."-- to satiate fans while they wait for his major label
debut.

UPDATE: As a "gift" to celebrate the cover, Connor released "Take Off," a song produced by Detroit musician, frequent Eminem collaborator and Aftermath Entertainment producer Mr. Porter. Click here to listen to the song; the song may contain explicit lyrics.